Endurance rider Wendy Crockett tells AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days crowd to get out and ride

Almost any motorcycle can be an endurance machine, she says

July 08, 2018

Story and photo by Jim Witters

LEXINGTON, Ohio — Stop sitting in front that computer worrying over which motorcycle could best carry you to the Arctic Circle. Just ride the bike you have.

That was the message endurance rider Wendy Crockett delivered Sunday to a seminar audience at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Royal Enfield.

Endurance rider Wendy Crockett tells a seminar audience to try endurance rallies on their own terms and on their own bikes.

Crockett’s presentation was one of a dozen seminars offered free to participants at the event.

A self-described “addict” for competitive long-distance rallies, Crockett has participated in four Iron Butt Association rallies, with a best finish of third in 2013. In her most recent rally, she covered 13,000 miles. And she have ridden two 10-day rallies.

A solo rider, Crockett has traversed 49 of the 50 states and nearly every Canadian province.

And all that riding has been accomplished on her Yamaha FJR. She has clocked more than 500,000 on it.

”People ask me why I rode an FJR to the Arctic Circle,” she said. “I rode that, because that’s what I own. And I’ve been to the Arctic Circle on an FJR while you are still sitting there dreaming about having the ideal bike for the trip.”

For Crockett, as for most motorcyclists, the appeal is a combination of the urge to get out and ride and a sense of adventure—a desire to visit new places and see new sights. Endurance rallies concentrate the experience and provide a competitive aspect.

”it’s not like you can’t visit this places on your own—they are there to be seen,” she said. “But so many of these place II never would have known about if it wasn’t in my rally pack. I have seen more great sites thanI could ever have cobbled together on my own.”

Crockett offered her audience advice on what to carry and what to leave at home, how to ensure proper nutrition on the road and how to stay hydrated, even in intense desert heat.

But her overriding message was clear: Get on your motorcycle and ride it.

”If you have the determination, almost any bike will be an endurance bike,” Crockett said.

2018 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days ran July 6-8 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The annual event is a fundraiser for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio.